This is the first instance of Indian authorities banning farm products from China. Apples and pears account for almost 90% of the fruit and vegetables India imports from its neighbour.

“We repeatedly found quarantine pests in apples, pears and tagetes (marigold flower) seeds coming from China. Hence, we have temporarily suspended their imports,” said an official aware of the matter.

The move comes as India has made a point of staying away from China’s ostentatious promotion of its One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative and relations between the two countries have been going through a prickly time, mainly due to differences centered around border disputes.

In the 11months to February, India imported apples and pears worth $132 million from China, up 200% from the corresponding period a year ago.

Indian authorities cited non-compliance and violation of phytosanitary norms that can cause “serious biosecurity risk to Indian agriculture” in aseries of letters to China. “Regular interception of quarantine pests found to be associated with apples, pears and tagetes seeds indicates failure of phytosanitary control system in China,” India said in its latest letter on May 1. EThas seen this letter. According to the official cited earlier, China responded by saying that the intercepted quarantine pests might have entered during packaging and circulation.

Although India has been informing China about instances of non-compliance with regard to imports, the situation has seen little improvement, the official said. New Delhi has now sought additional information on these three farm products.